You must first fill out an application. You can find this on our website at http://www.cityofsafford.us under departments you will then click on utilities and electricity. There you will find our net metering policy and the application and our current city policy. Once you submit your application the city inspector will get in contact with your solar agent. Once the approval process is complete Business services will be notified to create your net metering utility account.

Our current policy does not reimburse a dollar amount for solar. If our customers generate excess KWH we carry over the “credit” to the next billing cycle. At the end of the calendar year these totals are zeroed out.

The credit stays on the customer account and goes towards excess amount used until the end of the calendar year. After which the excess credit is applied toward operation funds. The customer is still benefiting from any excess electricity produced throughout the year.

You will receive two (2) bills from the City of Safford once you go to solar. You will receive one bill that shows all your other services charges and a net metering bill. The reason for this is we must split out to keep track of your electric usage and credit. Our current billing system does not allow for it to distinguish that you can only receive a credit on your electric and not all your services.

Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. For example, if a residential customer has a PV system on the home’s rooftop, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours. If the home is net-metered, the electricity meter will run backwards to provide a credit against what electricity is consumed at night or other periods where the home’s electricity use exceeds the system’s output. Customers are only billed for their “net” energy use.

Yes, currently our Electric monthly charge is $9.00 per month. The City of Safford needs to charge this rate since you are still hooked up to our system and drawing from our grid when the sun is not out.

The City has implemented procedures to help prevent identity theft. One of the main points is that no personal or account information including balance due will be given out, either in person or over the phone without either the account number or last four of the account holders social. This not only protects our citizens from having their identity stolen, but it also mitigate financial loses to the city from unauthorized charges due to identity theft.

Normally deposits are applied to the accounts final bill when it gets closed out. However, A residential account holder may request that their deposit be applied to the current bill if they have held their account in good standing for a minimum of a year. Commercial accounts can only be applied when the account is closed. This is one of the areas of City code that is currently under review.

Residential deposits are required based on the customers credit rating and Commercial deposits are always required. On residential accounts the customer will receive either a Green, yellow, or Red credit rating. A green rating requires zero deposits. A yellow rating requires 1 times the highest bill for that address during the previous twelve months and a red rating is 2 times. All commercial accounts are based on 1.5 times the highest bill for that address during the previous 12 months.

Our account numbers are ties to the addresses and meters, not the customer. In order to ensure the customer information is correct, we have to input new information for every new account number at each address. As well as needing a current signature for each new service agreement. Even if the customer has been with us for many years.

Per City code utility bills are due and payable on the first day of the month. They can be paid without penalty until the 20th of the month. If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday then they can be paid on the next business day without penalty.

City code allows for discontinuing of service if there is a minimum balance due of $35.00 five days after the 20th. However, because of monthly Calendars, this day varies from month to month. the specific day for each month will be printed on all late notices and can also be obtained by calling Citizen Services.

The City of Safford has been on a 4 day/10 hour work schedule since 2011 as a necessity to save on utilities in all buildings. Financial times have been optimistic, but have not fully recovered from the 2008-2009 Economic Crisis and its subsequent ripple effect felt in rural communities across the United States. The library would love to be open on weekends for our community, but unfortunately cannot make this feasible without further staffing. For economic reasons listed above, further staffing is not currently a possibility. We thank all our patrons and Safford citizens for their patience and understanding in this.

The Safford Library does not charge day to day late fees on regular items. We do ask that materials be returned in a reasonable amount of time to their due date. You will want to return items no later than one week after their due date.

If the material is on hold for another patron, we will notify you and you will need to bring the item in by its due date to avoid a $ 5 fee.

If the item is an Interlibrary Loan (brought in from another library), you will need to return it on its due date to avoid daily charges.

If an item is a month or more overdue, your account will go through a collections process. To avoid this, please contact the library at (928) 432-4165 or visit us in person to work out a plan to return the materials, pay for them or substitute a direct copy in their place.

You can check out books, audiobooks and magazines for 3 weeks. You may renew them twice for a total of 9 weeks, permitting that the item is not on hold for someone else. If the item is on hold for someone else, we will notify you via email and letter that it is on hold and must come back at the due date.

You can check out DVDs for a total of 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, DVDs must be returned at their due date.